I haven't had a chance to read the proposed legislation (which just lost several endorsers today), but from my understanding this is the third or fourth revision it is has undergone, and those revisions resulted in the most controversial elements of the bill being removed.

So, it would be interesting if this backlash is intended toward a past form of the bill, or its current form.

It's still pretty silly, and basically still gives the government and any ISP the ability to say "Hey this website might lead to piracy, shut it down."

This whole blackout has pretty much made me realize how dumb the majority really is. Instead of reading a simple paragraph about what's going on with the web, they just tweeted and facebooked 1000 different "OMG WHAT IS GOING ON INTERWEBZ?"

Fucking idiots.

*Inhale*

That's why I believe technology is ruining young society. Technology is great and all, it makes our lives simpler. But it doesn't make us use our brains. We just do reactionary things to get to the knowledge we need. I used to remember phone numbers. I used to know a lot of them. Now I know I just need to type the first letter of someones name into my phone and their number is automatically brought up onto the screen. We don't need to know the answer anymore, we just need to know how to get to it quickly.

The kids raised these days don't know the concept of patience, reading, or retaining knowledge. They don't need those things when they can just look down at their iphone, click the Wikipedia app, and type in whatever was puzzling them - find the answer - and never think about it again.

People's lives are so inconvenienced by a loss of time we've created Microwaves and Cars. Creating a special niche of people who neither cook properly nor exercise. But now that we've got Tivo, skippable cutscenes, the internet, and ipads - we're creating a special breed of people who neither need to know any actual knowledge (considering they just wikipedia it, relay the fact, close the app), and don't have the patience to read a fucking paragraph.

Technology (of the 21st century) just really, really made people not want to waste their time on reading. "Fuck, why would I read, when I can just click 1 button, and skim for the answer I want."

The RIAA has finally figured out how to beat the Internet. It's all about money, and squashing competing content. When SOPA passes, or some other form of the bill, it will be impossible to launch a website.

You will have Youtube for videos. And Facebook for social media. Any other site that tries to host videos will be sued and shut down for copyright. And once you restrict the Internet to one video website, you will have massive censorship. No more videos showing police brutality, no videos challenging the government.

The most offensive thing about SOPA is that it is setting the US government up to police the globe. Today, Megaupload was shut down. In one poof 4% of the Internet disappeared. If that isn't scary I don't know what is.

Congress and the RIAA are quickly realizing that you can no longer profit selling music and movies. So now they are going to sell culture. If SOPA passes, the Internet will be sanctioned, blacklisted, and shut down. You aren't going to have any more culture, creativity, or freedom.

Want to host a new blog or website? Nope! Copyright infringement! SOPA! You want to put your band's music on a website? NOPE! Sony music is going to sue you! You have to host it on Youtube, and pay Sony money. Don't worry though, when we channel the Internet down to 100 websites, it will be a better place.

If this sounds like crazy conspiracy talk, it really isn't. Look at what happened to Megaupload today. And that happened without SOPA.

I always said that technology always wins....I hope that holds up this time around.

I think the only thing this will do for the music industry is destroy record labels. Bands can still put their music on the internet without getting sued, if they don't belong to a label. If they own their own shit, they can do whatever they want with it. If ANYTHING, this is the worst business move those mega-companies could hope for.

because if I have the choice of signing with Sony, and having them take my money for distributing it on the internet, and also paying to put it there;
and
Hosting it myself and not risk getting sued by anyone considering I'm not signed to a label

I think I'd go with option B, and I'm pretty sure most others would, too.
What's the point of signing to a record label, when pressing records is becoming obsolete. It's all about putting it on the internet. Digital copies. I don't need a record label to put my video or song up. I can do that for myself.

__________________Fingerbang:
1.) The sexual act where a finger is inserted into the vagina or anus.Headbang:
1.) To vigorously nod your head up and down.

There are just scary implications with SOPA. Rumor on the street is that SOPA is a guaranteed failure. However, SOPA is going to be attached to the end of some "Stop Online Child Pornography Act" that congress will be unable to vote against (because who is going to vote against stopping child porn).

Ultimately you figure this is going to get passed at some point. SOPA is less interesting to 99% of Americans than the Kardashians.

A part of me feels like this country deserves what it has coming. 80% of the lazy fucks in this country don't vote. So this is what you get. Congress with an all time disapproval rating, and this SOPA bill that is going to end the Internet as we know it.

I guess my new hope is that Canada or Sweden declares war on the United States when we try to police the Internet on the other side of the world.

Again: conspiracy talk?

In one fell swoop, the FBI shut down 4% of the Internet's bandwidth today. Megaupload is gone. People had money tied into that website. Megaupload was also DMCA compliant, and removed content when it was reported. Megaupload is no different than any other vehicle that can be used for illegal activity. Youtube for illegal content. The radio for illegal content. Anything really.

But the worst fact? The big bust was in New Zealand. So now we have the United States Global Police Force shoving their policy in other countries over copyright. It's going to get ugly before it gets better.

Let me just say:

AMERICA IS COMING TO YOUR COUNTRY TO BUST YOUR COPYRIGHT LAWS AND ARREST YO ASS! BETTER WATCH OUT RUSSIA!

I think the only thing this will do for the music industry is destroy record labels. Bands can still put their music on the internet without getting sued, if they don't belong to a label. If they own their own shit, they can do whatever they want with it. If ANYTHING, this is the worst business move those mega-companies could hope for.

because if I have the choice of signing with Sony, and having them take my money for distributing it on the internet, and also paying to put it there;
and
Hosting it myself and not risk getting sued by anyone considering I'm not signed to a label

I think I'd go with option B, and I'm pretty sure most others would, too.
What's the point of signing to a record label, when pressing records is becoming obsolete. It's all about putting it on the internet. Digital copies. I don't need a record label to put my video or song up. I can do that for myself.

You're right on some of this, but you can't completely diminish a record label's clout. We're actually self-releasing our next album and I'm excited about doing in that way, but there's some hardship that comes with it.

The main thing a record label can do, whether or not you're still physically printing CDs or not, is having money upfront and the experience to make that money work. A label can pay an advance for recording, press, radio plugging, videos, advertising, etc without the band having to pay this cost up front. Of course that means they recoup those costs before the band sees anything, but those things have a ton of value, and if the label doesn't make that money back then it's their problem, not yours.

With self-releasing, of course you can just upload your stuff and hope for the best, but without paying for some of that stuff (press most importantly), it's going to be tough. Of course Radiohead can do it, they don't need press to remind people to buy their music at any cost, but it's tougher when you're say...The Spinto Band.

That said, I'm excited about the self-release prospect. We've gotta put some of our money upfront, but it also means money will be going directly to us when someone buys it from us online, and theoretically we make that money right back and hope to profit on touring/merch/commercials, whatever.

Anyway, this is kind of just an off-topic music industry rant, but I still say that you can't completely disregard labels. They still can be useful in situations.